The fish that eats,walks and court on Land

Once upon a time

Life was hard, a continuing effort to stay ahead, to stay alive and to live was the Mudskippers focus, They live in the inter-tidal mudflats, in the mangroves as well, they spend more than 90% of there life in land eating, walking using their pectoral fins and courting. To get oxygen they store water so as they can breathe in air incontrary to us who carry air to breathe in scuba dives.

In the mudflats of Saadani Photo Augustine Rutasingwa

In this place they love to live, there are all sort of sudden dangers one has to avoid from the seabirds, to monitor lizards, dehydration can be controlled rolling there skins in mud, and to see a predator they use the stalk eyes that comes out like a periscope in a submarine, the eyes can see at all directions.

Stalking eyes of a mudskipper, just like Periscope of a sub marine

Territorial disputes are common for the mudskipper, The prize was more than real estate, more than the muddle puddle its was a mate to share the burrowing ground, one has to read the right signal to come in, to ensure that the other mate is interested. Male mudskippers jump and hot there body upto half a meter high to attract females. Once they are together its more than a human vow during marriage, Even when the weather turns, even in worst conditions even when they see no end, they go through the toughest together and ,most time trying to take a deep breathe and moving forward.

Love is only for two in Mudskippers territories photo Daniel Trim

Do you want to love as a mudskipper?

In ecology, mudskippers are accumulants of pollutants and can be used to tell the status of the particular mudflat or mangrove forest, they also prey small crustaceans and graze diatoms and algae from mudflats, which makes it part of life at the area and if we would love to Protect and improve the state of coastal waters and mangrove forests ecosystems which are the natural habitat for mudskippers, mudskipper populations can be protected. Controlling garbage, untreated waste waters, pollutants, nutrients directly into the coastal waters will definitely help in protecting mudskippers